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At AGC, we aim to recruit, develop, and retain individuals who embody the characteristics of a global citizen and actively promote the school’s mission in all that they do. If this describes you, we encourage you to join our community of learners.

Middle School English Language Arts and Humanities Teacher

The Academy for Global Citizenship is seeking to hire a English/Language Arts and Humanities Teacher to finish the 2014-2015 school year with our 7th grade students and possibly lead them through their final year at AGC in 8th grade. This position is ideal for a passionate middle school educator seeking a collaborative and open environment for whole-student learning. Bilingual (English/Spanish) candidates and those with International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme experience are strongly encouraged to apply.

The Academy for Global Citizenship is seeking a long term substitute for a Third and Fourth Spanish Teacher/Instructional Interventionist from April 8 until the end of the 2014-2015 school year. Currently duties are split between teaching Spanish and working with classroom teachers as an Instructional Interventionist. Instructional Interventionists provide small group instruction for students in kindergarten through fifth grade based on student needs. Instructional Interventionists receive training to implement data-based interventions.

Being surrounded by thoughtful, inquisitive students and hard-working, like-minded colleagues

Thinking outside of the box to do what is best for our students

Being held to high standards for continuous personal and school improvement, and being given the time and support to do so–AGC teachers receive twice as many professional development hours as their peers, and coaching from an Instructional Leadership Team with a combined experience of 13 advanced degrees and 78 years in 26 schools

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For a child who lives to play soccer, this is the opportunity of a lifetime.

Since he was 7 years old, Stanley P. has dreamed of playing professional soccer for FC Barcelona in Spain. The sport has been a huge driving force for Stan, who is now a 6th grader at the Academy for Global Citizenship.

Along with his brothers, Giovanni,13 and Isaiah, 6, Stanley is very active leagues around the Chicagoland area. Mom Sandra, who works at AGC as an Instructional Interventionist, devotes nights and weekends to the boys’ active soccer schedule. Sandra says the soccer was infectious in her family: Stanley started playing after watching Gio, and Isaiah got hooked in Kindergarten. Far from a distraction, Sandra says soccer has inspired her sons to focus and work harder, on and off the field. When Stanley struggled in school, he was motivated to improve by his desire to play soccer in college.

At age 11, Stanley has been selected to attend the FCBEscola Tournament in Barcelona, Spain this spring. As one of the top two players from the Illinois FCB Program, Stanley was honored with the opportunity to travel and compete with players from Dubai, Japan, South Korea, Egypt, Poland, India, and more. Participating in FCBEscola Tournament will give Stanley a window into the world of professional soccer, the opportunity to train with the best young soccer players around the globe, and a chance to represent his country and community at an international competition. “Travel is great for young global citizens” says AGC founding teacher Meredith McNamara “this will help Stanley develop a broader understanding of and perspective on the world.”

However, for Stanley and a chaperone to travel from the Southwest side of Chicago to Barcelona to participate of this one-week long tournament will cost $5,850. Says Sandra “as a single mom with three children, this is not something we can afford right now.” With help from her colleagues at AGC, Sandra has launched a crowd-funding page to help raise funds to take Stanley to Barcelona. To contribute, click here.

Stanley says: “My dream is to play in Barcelona. I have worked really hard and will love the opportunity to play in Barcelona. It will be a great experience and I appreciate all the support.”

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Last month, the Academy for Global Citizenship had the great pleasure to welcome Actor, Director, Musician and Advocate Adrian Grenier, or, as the kids called him “Mr. A.”

After a quick rise to fame through leading man roles in late 90s films and the wildly popular HBO series Entourage (and the much anticipated Entourage movie), Adrian has built a diverse career unified by a socially conscious thread. Adrian is the founder of Reckless Productions, which focuses on socially conscious independent work for film, TV and web, SHFT, a hub for conscious consumers, the SHFT Mobile Kitchen Classroom collaboration with Stone Barns , Wreckroom Records, and so much more.

Adrian took time off to spend a marathon 5 hour day with our students on Thursday, December 11th, during which he learned about their experiences with advocacy and shared some of the ways he uses his voice to advocate for his beliefs. Our students fell head over heels for “Lonely Whale,” the subject of Adrian’s new pet project, a film and campaign of empathy inspired by the search for “52,” a whale who communicates at a unique frequency that isolates him from his peers .

11:00 am:

2nd graders Johara and Yaniah lead Mr. A on a tour of our garden, using their “imagination goggles” to see colorful flowers and crunchy vegetables growing the frozen garden beds.

Neither tour guides nor guest are particularly excited about the task of feeding schoolyard chickens Daisy and Puddles their morning snack of dried mealworms, but they all decide to be risk takers and, soon the dried worms don’t seem so gross. “There’s nothing like kids to push you outside your comfort zone;” said Adrian, “you want to set an example – you don’t want to be a chicken.”

11:45 pm:

Adrian joins more friends from 2nd grade for a healthy and organic lunch of tofu and black bean tacos!

1:00 pm:

Adrian brings his tiny guitar to 1st grade. Throughout their 6 week unit of inquiry on music, they have explores how instruments make sounds and how humans use music to communicate feelings. “I speak two languages,” he says, “English, and Music.” Each day of this unit has ended with a Q&A featuring a guest musician, exposing our students to a diversity of instruments and genres. Adrian did justice to a classic with his rendition of Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love.”

1:30 pm:

Adrian joins AGC 2nd graders as they present their final projects for their unit of inquiry on “Making our Voices Heard.” In small groups, students presented research and hands-on projects addressing how they could use their voices to improve their communities and their world. One group proposed to use a song they had written to address the issue of food waste, another group proposed to use signs placed around the city to remind citizens of the importance of kindness, patience, and other important virtues. The signs or songs might not fix everything, the students argued, but if they could make a small change, that was enough.

“Being social activists, that’s a very important lesson,” Adrian added, “because sometimes the problems of the world that you want to change can seem so big that you want to give up. But if you keep working, you can make amazing things happen.” This is the philosophy behind much of Adrian’s work; if we can encourage small lifestyle or perspective shifts, they can lead to a massive collective effect.

A natural entertainer, Adrian sets the scene with a flashback to the 1950s and 1960s. “During the cold war the US navy, in an effort to track submarines put out a network of microphones. Once the conflict was over and the military files were declassified, scientists were able to hear all these sounds underwater, and they’ve been listening to the oceans ever since.”

“One sound that was picked up was a frequency of 52 hz. They didn’t know if it was mechanical or if it was coming from something alive. One scientist, Dr. Watkins found that it was in fact a whale that was speaking with its own frequency.”

3:30 pm:

Adrian’s visit wraps up with Mr. Thomson’s 4th grade class, where, for a change of pace, he interviewed our students and heard them sing a song. Our 4th graders recently finished a unit on persuasion, during which they learned about and joined a protest on McDonalds’ targeted marketing to children. During this protest, students gained firsthand experience with direct advocacy.

In between student visits, Adrian met with AGC educators to talk about how the character of Lonely Whale’s could help students explore topics of empathy, communication, human isolation and loneliness, animal rights, oceanography, noise pollution and a host of environmental concerns.

“Educators can use the Lonely Whale, who – you can argue with me – is the cutest character, to teach a lot of different concepts,” says Adrian. If our students are any indication, Lonely Whale is the next big thing. 50 2nd graders sat in rapt silence while Adrian explained the story of Lonely Whale’s discovery. Their curiosity, which filled the room with tiny raised hands, only increased when Adrian revealed that researchers haven’t yet seen Lonely Whale, and that everything they know about him is from his voice. In fact, he might be a new species or the last of his kind. He might even be a she! Female whales have never been known to sing before, but Lonely Whale could be the first. Lonely Whale’s mystique is much of his appeal, and the reason Adrian and his colleagues are working to make this film.

52: The Search for the Loneliest Whale in the World is a documentary that will follow a journey to identify this enigmatic creature that sings at a different frequency than every other whale on the planet. While his voice keeps him isolated from his own, the tale of “52” has inspired an intense reaction amongst members of our own species, pointing to a greater awareness of human loneliness than ever before.

52 has inspired thousands of pieces of art and boasts 20,000 friends on social media, people who identify and empathize with his isolation. Adrian and his colleagues from 52: The Search for the Loneliest Whale in the World, are offering Lonely Whale’s fans an incredible opportunity to support and participate in his search. What they are working on is more than a documentary, it’s the investigation of a true mystery that unites humans and the entire animal kingdom.

The popularity of 52 proves that, in an era of instant search and constant connectedness, loneliness is as crushing and mysteries are as captivating as ever.

Our students were captivated by the story of the Lonely Whale and inspired by Adrian’s many humanitarian investments. When Joshua, a Dual Language 2nd grade student asked, why he has so many jobs, our guest laughed and said “you’re right, I should cut back.” We hope he never does. Adrian is modeling exactly what we foster in our students. Adrian has made a career of using his unique voice to advocate for a better world, and exemplifies the characteristics that AGC and other International Baccalaureate schools promote: he is a communicator, an inquirer, a thinker, and a risk taker.

Although his commitment to positive change is ever present, Adrian eschews the term “Social Activist” “I think it has a negative connotation “I’m just a human guy who wants to do my part … you can’t truly be happy unless your neighbors are happy, we need each other to embolden and enrich each other. To me it’s just a principle of living that I try to practice in my life.” This philosophy resonates tremendously with AGC’s own, as our students learn, from their first days in Kindergarten, how their health and the health of their communities and the earth are inherently intertwined.

We are honored to have Adrian marching with us on this journey towards a more sustainable future and we are thrilled to announce that “Mr. A” will be serving as an advisor to our Net Positive future campus project.

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Ms. Jayram’s Wellness class explored nutrition, sustainability and physical wellness during their most recent cooking unit! This central question of this unit was “how can we eat healthy, while still helping to take care of the earth and protect animals.”

The second graders worked on answering this question while working hands on with food. They learned many cooking skills such as chopping, tossing, peeling, washing fruits and vegetables, blending, and measuring. Throughout the seven-week the unit they used these skills to invent their own healthy sodas, make fruit kabobs, blend smoothies, chop and toss salads.

While many of our students have some cooking experience at home or in Ms. Tita’s after-school cooking class, Ms. Jayaram’s style of cooking was new for nearly everyone involved. Ms. Jayaram, an animal rights’ advocate, taught her students about vegan cooking and meatless alternatives. While they’re familiar with tofu and tempeh from Meatless Mondays at AGC and our daily meatless option, meatless turkey sandwiches were a new and exciting adventure.

Ms. Jayaram’s cooking unit with K-2nd graders took them from basic food preparation, healthy ingredients, their origins and how their flavors combined (through taste testing, of course) to sustainable cooking essentials, developing recipes and preparing meals using environmentally friendly ingredients that they then shared with their families during an exhibition.

At their culminating event “AGC Kids Café,” the children made foods for their families. They had five different stations where they were making food: tofurky sandwiches (a vegan, cholesterol free alternative to meat), salad, salad dressing, fruit kabob, and smoothie stations.

Families watched as the children made food and then sampled the children’s creations.

The children also made health goals, so that they could continue to focus on their health after the unit. They invited their families to make health goals too.

Some of the health goals they made were to eat more veggies, eat more vegetarian food, stop eating junk food, and to eat less sugar.

Many AGC families said that the AGC Kids Café event inspired them to start eating healthier and they enjoyed trying new foods. They also said they wanted to start cooking more with their children.

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After Black Friday and Cyber Monday comes Giving Tuesday, a global day for giving back. Check out these 10 easy ways to give back with AGC this season, including how to support innovation in education at no cost to you!

5. Give the gift of breakfast: Support 100% organic breakfast and lunch for one student for only $40/month. Click here to learn how.

6. Be Net Positive: AGC is working to build the state’s first Energy Net Positive School Campus. For a limited time only, all contributions to our Net Positive campaign will be matched by the George and Amanda Hanley Foundation! Click to learn more about our sustainable hub.

7. Make a long term plan: Planned giving, through a bequest, charitable gift annuity or charitable remainder trust ensures our future strength at no cost to you during your lifetime and can reduce taxes for your heirs. Click here to learn more.

8. Give stock: Donating stock or securities will allow you to earn the full tax benefits of the value of your shares and avoid capital gains taxes. Contact us to learn more.

9. Schedule giving: Schedule a recurring gift of any size. Your continued support means the world to our students, teachers, and families. As a Chicago Public Charter School, AGC receives inequitable funding and must raise half a million dollars each year to keep our doors open, despite spending less per student than an equivalent district-operated school. Click to schedule a monthly gift.

10. Spread cheer: Tell the world about the work AGC is doing to develop mindful leaders for the future by sharing posts from our blog, Facebook or Twitter feeds.

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We at AGC have a lot to be thankful for. Our students are well fed, educated, encouraged, and protected from the harsh weather and realities of the world outside. For this, they reward us with incredible creativity, diligence, and care for each other and the world. We’d like to highlight a few of the things that have inspired thankfulness this week.

A Visit from Bernie’s Book Bank

Our friends at Bernie’s Book Bank delivered 400 bags of books this morning, a set of age-appropriate books for every single student at our school. Rather than contribute to classroom libraries, Bernie’s makes gifts of literature to individual students – thousands in the Chicagoland area. This facilitates the collection, processing and redistribution of books to significantly increase book ownership.

AGC’s Annual Art Show and Sale

Last night, parents, staff, siblings and community members attended the annual art show sale hosted by Ms. Mares’s drawing and painting club, enjoying and purchasing original art works, including a very popular series of giant pizza slice paintings to accompany tasty pizza pies from our dear Chef Eddie and Julia!

Middle School Shares a Meal

AGC’s middle school students gathered today to celebrate Thanksgiving with a potluck meal in their classrooms. Their kindness, energy and individuality inspires us every day.

A Botanical Market

This semester, AGC’s School Garden Coordinator, Corenna Roozeboom, has been teaching a Botanical Science Elective for 6th and 7th graders. Last night, Botanical Science students presented some of what they’ve learned at a Botanical Market, where they sold natural home and health products, like Herbal Cough Drops ($1/bag), Lavender Eye Pillows ($2.50/each), and Natural Acne Astringent ($1.25.) Ms. Roozeboom reports this morning that all that is left of their stock are a couple lotion bars. Great work, Botanical Scientists!